We hadn’t even begun talking about The Last Frontier, but Dominic Cooper was already captivated — by my glasses.
“Best glasses so far,” he announced with total conviction. “That blue color’s gorgeous.” Haley Bennett laughed, warning me, “He’ll talk about your glasses for ten minutes if you’re not careful.”
And just like that, the tone was set — equal parts playful and chaotic, just like their show.
“It’s bonkers,” I told them.
“You stole bonkers!” Dominic shot back, pretending to be scandalized.
Turns out “bonkers” is the perfect word for Apple TV+’s new action-thriller, which blends high-stakes survival with morally murky characters and an epic manhunt through Alaska’s icy wilderness.
Mind Games in the Cold
In the series, Cooper and Bennett play intellectual sparring partners — two characters whose connection is as sharp as it is complicated.
Haley described it beautifully: “They have the ability to read each other’s minds. They’re playing this chess match together, and it’s such a juicy thing for an audience once they discover the secret.”
Dominic jumped in: “We second-guess each other constantly. We know what the other’s going to do next. It’s complex — a game of chess and intelligence. They’re the most intelligent people in the room, and they’re also something else… that you can’t say.”
When I asked Bennett whether her character, Sidney, was chasing redemption or still in denial about her past, she didn’t hesitate.
“Our opinion of Sidney will change over the season,” she said. “She’s confident — the smartest person in the room — but meeting Frank holds a mirror up to her humanity. She’s flawed, morally ambiguous, and doing what she thinks is right for the greater good.”
Dominic nodded. “She’s all about chaos,” he said. “And Frank — he’s all about order.”
Moral Gray Zones and Larger Truths
Cooper’s character is far less certain. “He’s morally compromised, but he doesn’t see himself that way,” I suggested.
“Interesting,” Dominic said thoughtfully. “He doesn’t kill anyone. He hurts people, yes — but he’s in survival mode. He wants to save the person he loves, and he’ll do anything. It brings up big questions about morality in a world where it’s at an all-time low. The fault lines are everywhere.”
It was one of those moments where the conversation turned surprisingly deep — before flipping back to laughter seconds later, as Dominic interrupted himself to compliment my “lovely plant.” (“It’s fake,” I admitted. “Nothing is real!” he cried.)
A Bonkers, Beautiful Ride
For Bennett, the sheer scale of The Last Frontier was part of the thrill. “Every day was different,” she said. “Explosions, chaos, emotional turmoil — it never got boring.”
Dominic agreed. “We were filming in Alaska, in Canada, climbing out of a burning Boeing 747,” he said, eyes wide.
“And I thought, this might be the last time we ever get to do something this big. Every day we turned to each other and went, this is special.“
The laughter, the camaraderie, the chaos — it all mirrors their characters’ strange dance onscreen. Smart, volatile, and unpredictable, just the way they like it.
“Real credit to Apple TV+,” Dominic said sincerely. “They were brave enough to go for it. It’s an action film and a character drama all in one. That’s extremely satisfying — and very rare.”
Don’t miss our review of The Last Frontier series premiere, and be sure to keep an eye out for more interviews!
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Jon Bokenkamp on Building The Last Frontier: From The Blacklist to the Alaskan Wild
The Blacklist creator Jon Bokenkamp talks about taking the action to Alaska, exploring identity and morality, and balancing chaos and heart in The Last Frontier.
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Dominic Cooper and Haley Bennett on Nonstop Action and Mind Games in The Last Frontier
Dominic Cooper and Haley Bennett open up about The Last Frontier’s mind games, moral dilemmas, and why filming explosions in the Alaskan wilderness was outrageous.
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Simone Kessell on Fear, Fortitude, and Friendship in The Last Frontier
Simone Kessell opens up about friendship, fear, and what it took to bring heart and humanity to The Last Frontier’s chaos.
The post Dominic Cooper and Haley Bennett on Nonstop Action and Mind Games in The Last Frontier appeared first on TV Fanatic.